Set the bar high

 It's at this time of year, people like to make "new year resolutions".  Usually these are made with good intentions however the phrase itself has negative connotations and this may be responsible for the large number of failures before the end of January.  Just look at gym memberships.  Regular gym members dread January when you have to queue for weights or machines as they are normally packed with people full of good intentions.  But new year resolutions tend not to last and here's my tips on how to get greater success:

1 - How bad do you want it?  Not bad enough hence the lack of commitment.  The goal has got to mean something really important to you.  You need a WHY?  You need to set the bar high which will stretch you to the limits to achieve it.  There is nothing worse than setting a low bar and achieving it.
Mohammed Ali once said "if you're goals don't scare you then you haven't set them high enough".  So before setting your goals just ask yourself the question, how bad do you want it?

2 -  The 5 step plan  I have used this plan in business and in all my adventures from Ironman to multi staged ultra runs.  Step one is setting your objective, but as mentioned above you need a WHY and you need to want to succeed - it has to really mean something to you as that keeps you going when it gets tough, and it will.
Step two is writing down the action plan.  This isn't just a high level document.  This drills down into individual sessions and targets.  I'm not into SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable", relevant, time-based) as I don't agree with attainable!  Attainable definitely means the bar hasn't been set high enough.
Step three This one is absolutely key.  It's about CONTROLS.  You need controls that measure your training to make sure you are on track.  I use a coach who sets my training plan and monitors each session with the use of technology.  You might decide to use a software programme that measures you against goals but the key no matter what method you use, is being accountable for your results.  I use this blog to make me accountable to you for the goals I set and that puts pressure on me to achieve them.  Make sure you have controls in place.
Step four - get out there and do the training and complete your events.  Enjoy the journey because if it's not fun, you need to question what you're doing.
Step five - The REVIEW.  You will constantly be reviewing your training results but this is a major review after your event.  If you were faster, why?  Was it because you set a low target wrong or did your training put you in such good condition - if so then repeat that process.  If you were slower, why?  If you didn't finish why?  What can you learn and sometimes is you learn more from your failures.  I certainly have.  Naturally we don't like reviews but they are essential.
Having shared this plan with you you might be surprised to know that the starting point is actually stage 5, the review.  You need to know where you are starting from before you set  your objectives.  So take time out to review the previous year.

2020 has been an unusual year but we've adapted during the year and as a result of our hard work, 2021 should be a great season, assuming we get to race.  My plans are certainly for a 2nd half of the season "A race" but every training session between now and then are all designed to get me to the start line in the best possible condition.  I hope this proven method is helpful to you and wish you all the best for the year.

New chapter

I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas, even if different due to the lockdown restrictions.  Perhaps these restrictions might make us view life differently, appreciate simple things more like meeting a friend for a coffee or taking time out to check in with the beauty that surrounds us.
Since my last blog we have successfully moved into our new "forever home".  The peace and quite surrounding me is amazing.  I keep stopping to listen for noise and there is really next to none.  The weeks and months ahead will be emptying boxes from our old house and doing another de-clutter as we wonder why on earth we packed that item?  We're also discovering how to operate lots of new gadgets/technology which has been challenging and frustrating - technology isn't my strong point!
In many ways it's a new chapter in our lives.  I have a country park less that 0.5 km away and have been exploring the many routes through the trees and the amazing views over my home city of Glasgow.
Training is ticking over as my turbo isn't set up, wifi issues, and my gym is currently in storage.  However I'm building up my running slowly, very slowly.  At the start of each year we focus on my heart rate and it usually takes up to a month to get it where my coach wants it.  I've to run very slow and get the rate low.  This isn't helped by the reduced training and the increase in rich food and wine over the festive period but I know it will settle down in time. But I'm also taking this period to rest, when not lifting boxes, so that when I return to normal training in January I'll be fresh and ready to go.
My "A race", postponed from 2020, is still the Ultra Race Romania on 9 August for 7 days and getting ready for that will take a lot of focused effort.  I can't wait to get back racing properly and hope you have similar plans even if it's going from "couch to 5 km" - that's a fantastic achievement and also a new chapter for you.
You will know I don't believe in new years resolutions as so many of them have failed before January is completed.  My next blog in Jan 2021 will talk about how to achieve your goals, I have a 5 step plan which is simple and works.  There will be plenty on telly/internet about reflecting on what happened in 2020 and that may inspire you to greater things in 2021.  But looking forward is the key and as 2020 draws to a close, it's time to turn the page and start a new chapter in 2021 which you are the author of.

City living

Time flies, when you are looking back but when you are counting the minutes it seems to drag.  The last 10 days have been like a staged event, an unsupported ultra.  If you keep looking at the finishing line it seems far away so I applied my mental approach for a staged event to living in cramped student accommodation.  Granted it's nice accommodation but very different to what we're used to with environmentally friendly neighbours recycling their bottles at 3am!  What I didn't appreciate was that the birds don't wait till dawn to provide their glorious chorus, they start about 2am and keep it going.  Fair to say I've lost some sleep during the week.
I've enjoyed the varied running through my home town but the countryside certainly has less air pollution from exhaust fumes.  On Saturday I took at trip out of town to Chatelherault for our club annual fancy dress run.  We had a huge turnout and everyone was wearing fancy dress with some outfits causing the dogs to get out of our path!  The pace was slow but we had a great time.  Pace didn't matter as we chatted, socially distanced, with our pals we hadn't seen for most of the year.  What a great run and it just underlined how much more I enjoy running on trails in the countryside with friends.
Today was my final run in the city.  I headed west along the Clyde and then up the River Kelvin.  It was encouraging to see so many runners out of all shapes and ages.  Walkers too and with us going back to Level 4 on 26th December, I hope people will have the freedom to go out for a walk or a run.  It's so important for our mental and physical health.
Looking back over the last 10 days, time has flown and in 22 hours we will arrive at our new house that's been built over the last 13 months.  To say we're excited is putting it mildly as we have been dreaming about this day for a long time.  It's a new chapter and in addition to the new house, I have lots of new running routes to look forward to.  I'll be back in the countryside again, surrounded by green fields and trees - my happy place.  But if I want the city life then it only a short journey as we are more centrally based.  Bring it on......quickly please!

Priorities

Every so often I have to remind myself that I don't do this for a living or that sometimes life will just need to get in the way.  Training six days a week can "interfere" with important things in life and I have to concede, that moving house trumped my training this week.  In a way, it substituted my training and at times it was like an ultra event.  For two days my wife and I packed boxed, ran up and down stairs with boxes, lifted heavy furniture, grabbed some food when we could and were constantly up against the clock.  We left our family home of the last 18 years shining like a diamond as we collapsed into temporary accommodation at our son's student flat in Glasgow.
That's come as a bit of a shock as we step over our suitcases in our bedroom and share a couch with him.  Based on his kitchen, our diet may suffer for the time spent here (carry out food) but what's really nice is stepping out right into the centre of (lockdown) Glasgow!  Surrounded by pubs and restaurants but closed by 6pm and not a glass of wine in sight!
The last two days I've pulled on my running shoes and headed out to run new routes 1st thing in the morning.  Yesterday I went east along the Clyde and today west.  Running through my home town has been wonderful as I saw it from a different perspective.
My turbo training is on hold as my bike is packed away and won't be available till I get to my new house and I think it would be advisable to unpack the Christmas tree before my bike!
I'm looking forward to a new home, a new location, a new chapter and many new running and cycling routes.  2020 has been a challenging year but I really am starting to believe there is light at the end of the tunnel.  Keep the faith, we'll get there - a mantra I've repeated on many an ultra!

It's only weather...but be careful

We're definitely in winter now.  This week we've seen snow and flooding which creates a few other hurdles we need to take care of.
It's not so much the snow but it's how it is underfoot when you decide to run.  When I was clearing the driveway the soft snow was lovely but the time taken meant I had to delay my run till the evening.  Unfortunately living high up in the countryside meant that while most surrounding, lower, areas were clear of snow but back home the frozen slush and ice meant the pavements were dangerous to run on, especially in the dark.  One fall could put you out for months so I put my sensible head on and switched to a turbo session on the bike.
On Saturday I was looking forward to our Chatelherault run but there had been a lot of rain and of course there was the melting snow.  As a result it was very wet underfoot and at the lowest part in the run it was completely flooded which meant we were up to our knees in water trying not to fall off the path, which you couldn't see, into deeper water.  The water was baltic but if you're wearing the right shoes and socks, withing a few minutes your feet warm up.  
It's been a busy week with hard training sessions and on Friday I'd done 25 x 1 minute efforts on the bike with 1 min recovery in between.  But that took it's toll towards the end of my run when my legs felt like led and my lungs were working to capacity.  In the end a great run and it was good to be out with my pals - this is the only training session where we meet up physically, with another two occasions virtually on the bike but there's no banter.
Winter means we have to be aware of the elements and take care.  We can't afford to be out in the wilds without proper clothing and fuel to keep us going.  Be careful if out on your own because one ankle twist and you could be in serious trouble.  If I'm out on my own I always have a foil blanket with me and fully charged mobile, just in case.  Take care out there and enjoy the change of season.  

Accountability

I'm always on the lookout for material for my weekly blog.  I would be a bit boring if it was just about my training although I do include it as there is an interest out there as to what get's me to the start and finish line if some of my big races.  So I was grateful to a friend the other day that wrote to me looking for some advice and I'm sure we can all relate to his situation.  
A new job involving travel and a house move have meant he hadn't been able to train as normal and after more than a year he's demotivated and not happy at having put on a few pounds.  He follows my blog and knows I use a coach and wanted to know how it worked.  He recognised that not being accountable to anyone made it easy to miss a training session but that then leads to more sessions being missed as it almost becomes "acceptable".  It's not helped while in lockdown and the various restrictions that this presents but he was "wallowing in his puddle" but aware he needed to change his approach.
Accountability can come in different forms and works differently for different people.  For me having a written down training plan with goals within each session keeps me focused.  Knowing that my coach will see my results also makes sure that I give it my best.  Finally I blog about my activities and wouldn't like to have to report back to you that I've failed and not achieved what I'd set out to achieve.  Over the years there has been many opportunities where I could have quit but the thought of writing a blog about it and knowing I'd led down Maggies Cancer Centres who I raise money for, kept me going.  The most recent one was in the Tahoe 200 and when I started the race I was in great shape.  24 miles later I was ready to quit despite 2 years of preparation.  Fortunately my wife was unexpectantly at the check point (nobody was meant to have been there) and was able to talk me round which got me to the next checkpoint and the rest is history.  But at that point I was bust and felt awful with the altitude and the dust I'd been breathing in on the way to the summit.  Being accountable made me press on.
Having team mates to train with, physically or virtually also helps.  This week has had some epic sessions where knowing I was with my team mates made me raise my game.  This mornings 1 hour Zwift session was a great example.  Having done a short hill reps run just before the bike, I really didn't feel in the mood.  Even during the session I was clock watching hoping it would be over but as the finish line came into site we all started sprinting for it and the effort that went into that was incredible.  I could hardly unclip and get myself off the bike at the end but was pleased I had hung on throughout the session.
Being accountable to someone or to a group you train with improves performance - fact.  If you're struggling with your motivation or want to step your game up, either get a coach you can work with or find a club where you know you will be pushed.  Make it part of your life rather than an add on which is easy to drop and most of all enjoy it.

Chasing the hare!

 Many many years ago I was invited to Shawfield Stadium in Glasgow to watch Greyhound racing.  I was fascinated by the speed of the greyhounds as they chased a hare (not a real one) round the track.  As soon as the hare went over the finish line and stopped, the race was over and the speeding greyhounds all stopped.  But what's that got to do with training? Quite a lot in my book as this weeks training has proven.
On a Wednesday night I usually train with the club for a "speed session" - short intervals runs, but faster that you'd normally run.  While you are always trying to improve on the week before, you're also aware of your team mates around you and trying to stay ahead of them or catching them up.  When you're hunting them down it's like the greyhound and the hare except you can overtake them in training or a race.  This Wednesday I couldn't make it so was given a session by my coach which was during my 45 min run I was to do faster intervals of 5/4/3/2/1 mins.  With no "hare" to chase the best you have is your Garmin to measure the time but it's not the same.  Still knowing these results would be viewed later by my coach meant I had to deliver a good result.
On Saturday we met at Chatelherault and there are some "hares" out that you don't bother with because if you try and catch them you'll blow up and end up slower than you would do if you paced your session more evenly.  But those "hares" give me something to aim for as we get through the winter and motivate me to work harder while I keep my "A race" in mind.  No point having a brilliant 10km time if I'm aiming to run 250 km - keep your eyes on the prize!
And today was more chasing the hare.  A zwift group ride.  My coach kept edging ahead of me and when I caught up, moved ahead again.  She knows me well and am sure it was deliberate as I pushed harder that I intended just to stay with her.  For the last 15 minutes I decided to pull away and leave nothing out there.  I pushed really hard as I shook of the "hare" and was not going to allow it to overtake me before the finish line.  
We need to be able to motivate ourselves when we are out on our own especially if our chosen races means you'll be spending time on our own.  But chasing the hare is definitely motivational and brings out the best in us.  Who would have thought all those years ago that greyhound racing would help me in later years!